Last night we left Banaue in a pouring rain, taking another 9 hour bus ride to Manila. Barb and I are getting to be pros at this - armed with blankets and pillows, we look like vagrants but had a much more comfortable (?) journey. We arrived in Manila at 4:30 am and had to wait for the ticket office to open at 7 am to obtain bus/ferry tickets to journey off to Puerta Galera, where we were hoping to find sun and sand. The passage was a bit dodgy with swells and gusts. At one point the entire crew dashed out of the forecastle (or they...

We have spent the last two days in Batad where another set of rice terraces is found. The good side of the story is that we stayed in a homestay in a traditional hut with thatched rood and wooden floors overlooking the rice terraces. The food was great and we were serenaded during dinner by Irene, our guide, on the guitar. The bad news is that getting to and leaving from Batad was no easy feat. Our ride dropped us off at the top of a saddle and we hiked down, down, and down to get to Batad. The clay was slippery and the rock steps...

Well, we survived the bus marathon, but arriving in Banaue at 5:45 am after a frigidly cold bus ride was less than pleasant. (What is the deal with that??? There was subarctic winds blasting directly at us the whole 10 hours..., not to mention what appeared to be 4 hours of hairpin turns.) Suffice it to say that I am no longer able to remain chipper and coherent after 2 hours of sleep.
However, we are staying in Banaue today, with a great view of the rice terraces out of our window. We hiked with Irene (our guide for the next 3 days) at...